News From The North

Yanni Hufnagel’s fortitude for aligning great talent with the tenacity to win has become his most-influential asset to the teams he’s been accepted to be a part of.

In 2009, Yanni Hufnagel became the assistant coach and recruiter for the Harvard Crimson men’s basketball program. In 2013, Yanni became the assistant coach for Vanderbilt Commodores which he is credited with helping the team become the 29th ranking recruiting class in 2014. During his tenure, he was considered very influential with the players; most notably Wade Baldwin and Matthew Fisher-Davis both of whom Yanni personally mentored to further their basketball career. The team had a stellar year-ending record of 21-8 which established a record for the school’s wins.

By the end of 2014, Yanni Hufnagel was offered and accepted the assistant coaching and recruiter position with the California Golden Bears after the successful tenure with Vanderbilt. As the recruiter, Yanni persuaded up and coming basketball stars Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb to join the team which helped lead the Golden Bears to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

His trusted relations with those of whom he’s coached are a testament to Yanni Hufnagel’s ethics and moral compass for doing the right thing on behalf of the players, and the team. The players, and the head coaches, believe in Yanni’s core values which bring credibility to the game of basketball. He’s been a great mentor to young players who respect him immensely.

In addition to mentoring those with whom he also enthusiastically coaches, Yanni Hufnagel has been very active in working alongside the Partners for Youth with Disabilities within their Mentor-Match program. The program was created in 1985 with a goal of helping young people with disabilities reach their highest potential for independence. Yanni works with the youth monthly to help with development and personal goals.